by The director of a private zoo in southern Mexico stole four of the sanctuary’s dwarf goats and served them to staff at their Christmas party, authorities said.
José Rubén Nava is accused of leading a dreadful scheme in which he stole and sold dozens of animals from Zoológico Zoochilpan in Chilpancingo, the capital of Guerrero.
In some cases, Nava, who had only been at the helm for a few months, allegedly killed the animals for no reason.
“These four animals were slaughtered and cooked on the grounds of the zoo, and served as food at the end of the year party,” said Fernando Ruiz Gutierrez, director of wildlife for the state environment department. , about pygmies.
“It endangered the health of the people who ate them because these animals were not fit for human consumption.”
The alleged abuse was uncovered on January 14 when a zoo neighbor found an injured deer suffering from dog bites and an injured leg near his house, EL PAÍS reported.. The deer was taken back to the hospital, where he died a few days later.
Nava was fired after the deer escape for mistreatment of the animal; his leg was sewn up without anesthesia and his antlers were cut.
Investigating the alleged mistreatment of the deer, officials discovered that dozens of animals had gone missing during Nava’s short reign over the zoo.
Nava allegedly traded a zebra to a person in Querétaro, about 300 miles away, in exchange for three red deer. He is also accused of having traded four watusi bulls to someone in the state of Mexico, some 250 kilometers away, in exchange for materials and tools necessary “for the proper functioning of the facilities of this zoo”, have officials said.
Four of the zoo’s 10 dwarf goats were executed and served to zoo staff, officials said.
The whereabouts of a jaguarundi, a coyote, 10 reptiles, a baby macaw and a red-tailed hawk are entirely unknown, while several births that occurred under Nava’s guidance have not been recorded or were classified as false deaths, officials said.
Nava faces charges of cash trafficking and animal abuse, in addition to health crimes, according to EL PAÍS.
With post wires
